The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-01-27
ERANRLR NORRIS

The trial of frankie Morris VS.. the Mu.
tual Life Insurance company of New
York and Equitable Life Assurance asso-
citation Of the United States, now in pro-
gress In the United States circuit court,
before Judge Brewer at Topeka has con-
siderable of the sensational about it.
frankie Morris, or rather frankie Love-
land, the name Of the plaintiff at present,
has led . remarkable career, and as she
has been IN our city several times, and our
CITIZEN are more are less acquainted with
the facts in the case, we reproduce the
following condensed account of her career
heretofore:
As IL appears from the evidence she
formerly lived in Rrie. Kansas. At that
time she was . very pretty and interesting
young lady, and by her pleas ant, spright-
IL manners attracted the attention OF every
one she met. he mother kept boarding
house aud she was assisted by frankie.
When placing too much confidence in one
of her mothers boArders her fate was like
TOO many who love "tOo well but not wise
ly." The next time that she appears on
the scene is at Great Bend, Kansas, where
she was an inmate OF . frontier dance
house. There she met and As she had
done with many before, fascinated a rising
young lawyer OF that pace, who, after an
acquaintance OF one year, determined TO
make her his lawful wife and give her the
benefit Of an honest name and a chance
to reform hawAYward career. Accordingly
they were married, and shortly afterwards
came tn live in Topeka. Frankis's career
here was quiet and uneventful, but she
soon began to pine for the excitement and
wild freedom or the former days. The
result of course was but matter OF time.
Her married life was not Q success, and in
few years she applied for . divorce, ana
after q strAng proceeding IL was granted.
The petition, answer and decree being all
filed the same day.
The next time she figured conspiouously
was on her trial for numbering her mother.
After her divorce she travelled for some
time, visiting the Pacific coast and other
points of interest, but after time she
returned and went down to live with her
mother In Cherryvale, Kansas. Shortly
afterwards, through her exertions, her
mother made an application to the Mutual
Life Insurance company, through their
agent in Topeka, for q policy of SIS, 900 on
her life. As the applicant was good
subject, the insurance was obtained. A
short time after this Mrs. Poinsett,
Frankies mother, made an application to
the Equitable Life association for $lO,-
600 policy, TO their agent in Kansas City.
This was obtained, frankie sending the
money from ChAnute, where she had in
duced her mother to go. Here frankie
lived with her mother, who kept q board
ing house Mrs. Poinsett, shortly after
she came TO Chanute, was taken sick
with all the symptoms OF ArsepicAl pois-
oning. She for day or so seemed better
but at last died in the most intense pain,
aud under circumstances that indicated
that she died OF poison, 1t wss proven on
the trial of the criminal case in Neosho
| county, that they lived IN a new house just
| finished before they moved in, and that
frankie sent her step. father, half-blind,
imbecile old man, 20 the drug store TO pur-
chase arsenic for the purpose OF poisoning
rats when there was no rata In the house
| That after this, Q bottle of beer or malt
Was purchased, and that she poured the
liquid out into . tea cup or glass for her
| mother while she dFsnk from the bottle;
that Immediately after this that her mo-
Their was taken sick as stated before, with
all the symptoms of Arsenical poisoning
and eventually died Just four days before
| the second installmsnt on the premiums
Of the insurance policies came due,
Now there appeared on the scene II, u